Top five critical blunders

Monday 9 September 2002 23:00 BST

The critics don't always get it right, you know. Here are five instances where they got it wrong.

1. Kiss Me Kate

The London transfer of Michael Blakemore's Broadway musical received unanimous critical acclaim when it opened last August. The public weren't so convinced: despite critical hopes that the production would revive the West End, it was forced to close long before scheduled.

2. We Will Rock You

No such luck - or misfortune, depending on your point of view - for Ben Elton's musical about pop proggers Queen which the public still insist on flocking to despite the fact it received a roasting by the critics when it opened in May.

3. Blasted

Sarah Kane's infamous debut was panned by several critics when it premiered in 1995. Six years later, when it was revived at the same theatre alongside three further plays by the late playwright, several critics had - admittedly openly - thoroughly revised their opinion.

4. The Mousetrap

The continued good health of London's longest-running play remains an utter mystery to many critics. Such is the hatred felt towards it that one scribe has been trying to close it down since the 1970s.

5. A Streetcar Named Desire

When Tennessee Williams's best known play premiered in London, the critical response was one of horror rather than admiration. One critic wrote that he felt as though he had 'crawled through a garbage heap'. The rest, as they say, is history.